Brazil Travel Story - Servants, slaves and Unintentional Seduction

ArticleThe nannies, the cooks, and the gardeners in Brazil come from the favelas. They are paid enough to stay in the favelas. They earn enough money for their families to live in the favelas, to watch fuzzy television, to know college is worlds away from their own. The older ones generally accept their plight in life. Their skins tethered by sun and work and acceptance. They know they will work this way for the rest of their lives, old and ugly and poor. In Brazil, all three of these things are as offensive as the next. However, the younger ones dream of something better then servitude.
Its hard to understand that a country, left winged enough to have a polite/dinner table word for a one night stand which is 'ficar', could so carelessly look the other way when it comes to the mistreatment of people who tend to them hand and foot.
This article highlighted the backwardness of how these passionate people, very generous and giving in other areas of their life, would treat their servants.
The author referred to one of his experiences in Bahia. He explained that he felt woozy from giving blood and the doctor offered, in exchange for his company, a place to stay that evening. It sounds odd, but it is not too uncommon for Brazilians to invite foreigners to their home for dinner and a night. They will often have guests on the night of your arrival and then trapes them around, much like you'd pass around a birthday cake. Some people would engage deeply in conversation and devour your concentration, while the next person will simply shake your hand and then pass the divulgence without a second look.
Anyway he went to the family's house. In the gated community that every doctor, architect, or engineer is expected to live in. Inside the house, was the servant Joseph that the rich are expected to 'own' just like the swimming pool that was in the yard.
Joseph set the table, refilled drinks, served the dinner he made, got to eat a little of the dinner in a back room, filled drinks, cleared the table, served the dessert he had made(there was none left for him), and washed the dishes after doing the laundry and serving coffee.
After the meal the author actually remembers Joseph's 'boss' asking of him to,
"Joseph, pass me my lighter. And turn the light on. Joseph, ashtray. Bring some fruit, Joseph – and buy some cigarettes."
The servants in Brazil are treated this way. They are objects. Objects, nonetheless, that can be disposed of at any time, no matter how long they have been working with the family they serve.
On a personal note my second host family in Brazil had four servants. One do to all the cooking and daily washing, like dishes and sweeping, her name was Sonya. One to take care of the youngest girl, Lala and her name was Neosa. One to garden their lawn in the back, a man that I never met formally, but I saw everyday. One that came in once a week and the back breaking work, again no one ever introduced me to her and when I tried to talk to her she'd smile and then coyly walk away.
One day I noticed I had something missing. I wouldn't be able to tell you what it is now. Maybe it was a make up bag or maybe it was my brush, I can't remember. Anyway, I asked my host mom if she had seen it and how I was a bit upset that I was missing it.
The next day, Sonya, the cook, was gone. Neosa was cooking our lunch. It turns out Sonya had been fired for stealing from me. It also turns out that I found whatever it was I was looking for in my little host sister's room. Dispensable human beings.